Laura A.

Fast Paced

Revisado: 02-07-23

This book was an exciting and enjoyable ride. The characters were developed and there were many plot surprises. I couldn’t wait to finish it and I was wishing there was more story when it was done. Good details paint pictures of the action, including the racy scenes. You will enjoy.

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Still good, but…

Revisado: 01-18-23

This felt just a little short of the tight plotting I’ve come to expect from this author. Not a great many, but here and there a few holes. Worth the read at any rate.

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The character names are a distraction

Revisado: 10-25-22

Overall, it was a good story with the important storyline coming to a satisfying resolution. I would have hoped for more of the minor characters to have some closure. The biggest problem for me, though, was character names, specifically Ledger and Diem. Ledger is an odd name choice and there's no backstory about why the character is named after a bookkeeping tool. But DIEM is just off-putting! Kenna (another weird name choice) names her baby after "carpe diem" and yet does very little "seizing of the day" that has strong consequences in the story line. It's a bad choice. And the "him" in the title is blandy named "Scotty." It may seem trivial, but it bothered me all the way through the book.

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Spoiler Alert!

Revisado: 08-08-21

To paraphrase the words of Bette Midler at the end of of her “Chapel of Love” recording: That was a pits ending to a really terrific story.

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Insightful, and yet...

Revisado: 02-11-20

I loved Sheldon. The way he saw things and thought about world events was so well written that I made note of many special passages to read again. The plot was interesting and refreshing. But I needed more resolution ( without being a spoiler here) for a few things, and that was disappointing.
The performance was generally excellent except for a couple of pronunciation problems. Be prepared to hear a couple of important characters- Saul and Paul - spoken as “Sol” and “Pol.” I never got used to it.
Overall, a good book. And I want to hear more from Sheldon.

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Disappointed

Revisado: 01-19-20

The story was uneven and had wordy descriptive sections that didn’t contribute to the storyline. Some of the subplots were unfinished and the whole connection to the American Civil War had a time frame gap.
The narration was a big problem for me. Overall, it sounded labored and heavy. The voice of Emma, a Parisian, had no French accent while other French characters did. Emma’s accent drifted between British and American, while other American characters had southern accents - in New York! It was distracting.
Also, some words were pronounced in the less common usage, particularly debut, a word in the central theme. While saying “deboo” is acceptable, it’s not the commonly use “Dey-byoo” that was used. It was also distracting, as were others.

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Unlikeable Protagonist

Revisado: 11-23-19

The narrator/protagonist was too self-absorbed. Yes, I know it was a large part of the conflict of the story, but she needed to show a redeemable quality or two before the climactic scenes.

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Stunning

Revisado: 08-15-19

I was blown away by this “book.” The author narrates, and because it is a truly audible experience, there are other voices giving their part of the story. Maharidge inherited a small picture of his father Steve and a WWII Marine buddy, H. W. Mulligan, who was killed in the fighting at Okinawa. His 18-year quest to bring Mulligan’s body home had me literally sobbing through the last half hour. I learned so much about the war, “shell shock” (traumatic brain injuries), and the after-effects that the war had on those who fought it and returned to a grateful world that expected them to pick up their lives as if they had never been gone. This is a must-read for all of us.

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Disappointing

Revisado: 08-12-16

Would you try another book from Scott Wilbanks and/or Tavia Gilbert?

No. His story was too much - too wordy, too many plot elements, too much exposition and too long. But in other areas, details were lacking. What was she wearing during so many of the big plot lines (it's important to this particular book). How was the adoption made to happen, considering the circumstances? So on. I literally plodded through the last third of this book for two reasons: One, I DID want to see how it all turned out, and two, I wanted to feel what my students feel when forced to complete a book they're not enjoying.

What was your reaction to the ending? (No spoilers please!)

Most details tied up, and more quickly than they were drawn out (don't know if that was good).

How could the performance have been better?

Her narration was anxiety producing. Everything was in an overexcited tone. I even tried slowing down the speed, but it didn't help much. I will NEVER listen to this narrator again.

Did The Lemoncholy Life of Annie Aster inspire you to do anything?

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Not up to the hype

Revisado: 04-24-16

I made myself listen to the very end, thinking, "there's got to be some greatness coming in the next story." But it was average all the way through. Some "stories" should have been left in the idea file. All in all, the stories weren't that exciting or interesting and too many of the endings left me flat. Plus, gratuitous profanity abounds.

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